Walking is the superfood of fitness /  by Kevin Swantek

I feel like the title, Walking is the superfood of fitness, experts say says it all, but the article is very much worth reading. Follow the link for the full article. The quote from the article below puts the proper perspective on how sedentary many of us are, outside of the gym. I will definitely be checking out Katy Bowman's book, Move Your DNA: Restore Your Health Through Natural Movement.

“Actively sedentary is a new category of people who are fit for one hour but sitting around the rest of the day," Bowman said. “You can’t offset 10 hours of stillness with one hour of exercise.”

The Night Market /  by Kevin Swantek

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On Saturday, September 13, I set off to Seattle's International District to checkout the Night Market and Autumn Moon Festival. I arrived via the light rail at the International District Station around 5:45 p.m. I left relatively early hoping to catch the 6 p.m. break dancing competition that was scheduled. Fortunately, or unfortunately the competition didn't actually start until closer to 7 p.m., so I had a little wait. The competition itself was pretty interesting. It was an invitational between Seattle and Vancouver B.C. b-boys. If I recall right Vancouver ended up winning the overall competition. I don't know if you can tell from my video below, just cool the backdrop of the city was that night, or how just athletic these dancers really are, but it was definitely worth checking out.

After the competition, I went off to walk the streets the of the International District, to checkout of the street vendors. There were food trucks, people selling clothing, jewelry, and whatever you can think of. Between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m., after the sun had set, the market had completely filled up with people. I felt much like a spawning salmon trying to go up stream. Every direction I went, I constantly felt like I was going against traffic.

Poke to the Max

Poke to the Max

After fighting the crowds, I finally found a food truck that I couldn't wait to try. I queued up in the long line for Sam Choy's Poke to the Max food truck. The line moved surprisingly quickly. I ordered the Ahi Poke Rice Bowl. I had poke for the first this last February, while in Kauai, and fell in love with it. I was very excited try their food. The wait for the food, after ordering, was probably 3 times as long as the line to order. Everyone waiting seemed in genuinely good spirits, joking while they waited. Once my order was up, I got away from the crowds as quickly as possible. When I did crack open my to-go box of good, I was very happy to discover the smell of fresh fish, and what ended up being a delicious little bowl of food.

Overall, I feel like this was a worthwhile experience. I will definitely attend next year, but I will try to do a few things different. The number one thing though is I will try to go a little later to avoid the family crowds. I think that walking through the market between 8 - 9 p.m. was probably the most family-friendly time to hit the market, and it was huge hassle for trying to see everything. Other that it was good fun.

Is 75 the right age to die? /  by Kevin Swantek

This post falls way outside of what I like writing about, but it's also something I think about in the way back, dark places of my mind. If I take into account that I'm currently 38 years old, then from the point of view of 75 being the right age to die, I have lived just over half my life, which means I only have another 37 years left.

I learned the term "Compression of Morbidity" from Dr. Andrew Wiel, while watching a PBS special. The term refers to one living as healthily and long as possible, before quickly dying with as little loss in quality of life as possible. Live well, and then exit quickly. Both links below have vaild points of view. If I can live to 90 while being physically mobile, and mentally agile, then I would certainly love to stick around. If I make it to 90 just limping along both mentally and physically, then I would agree with Ezekial Emmanuel's article Why I Hope to Die at 75

Having read Jacqueline Damian's response (Is Age 75 the 'Right' Time to Die), I do find myself disagreeing with her assertion that old age might be about "down shifting", and that doing nothing is actually doing something important. I feel like ultimately we are both physical and mental creatures, and that one without the other is diminished capacity. My biggest issue with her response is that I think she assumes ones' mental faculties can survive beyond the physical. I certainly believe that might be true for some, but I definitely don't believe that this is true for all, or even necessarily true for the majority.

The article that actually started me off down this rabbit hole, popped in my facebook feed a few days ago. It's about a 75 year old crossfitter's response to Ezekial Emmanuel's original article, and the article title is A 75-Year Old CrossFitter vs. Ezekiel Emanuel. In this post, Jacinto Bonilla shows how we can be both physically excellent, and mentally alert as we enter old age. I'm thankful to have pretty good examples of this in my family. My Great Grandpa on my Father's side lived into his 90s with great mobility. He was a very slight man at that age, but he regularly navigated a steep hill to his garden, and tended his apple trees. My Mother's Dad also lived into his late 80s still performing pushups, but quickly succumbed to an esophageal tumor. My Dad is currently in the second half of his 60s and is still powerlifting. 

Ultimately, for me it comes back to the notion of "Compression of Morbidity". I don't think there is one age we should strive to live for, as much as we should try to live as healthily, and strong as we possibly can, and then die as quickly as possible, with as little suffering as is needed. My goal in this second half of my life is to focus on living as fully possible before it's my time go.